Employees may be more prepared to embrace AI in the workplace than business leaders think.
“They are more familiar with AI tools, they want more support and training, and they are more likely to believe AI will replace at least a third of their work in the near future,” according to McKinsey & Company’s Superagency in the Workplace report.
Of the 3,613 employees surveyed, nearly all (94 per cent) said they were at least somewhat familiar with generative AI tools. Leaders need to understand how widely AI is already being used by their teams, and where the greatest potential lies.
Microsoft is encouraging business leaders to consider how the technology can take on more cognitive, human-like tasks to support daily work. “When I think about AI’s current abilities, I consider these five key cognitive tasks: perceiving, understanding, reasoning, executing and creating,” says Jared Spataro, chief marketing officer of AI at Work at Microsoft, in a column for the firm’s WorkLab publication. “Looking at how each is handled in your organisation today can help identify opportunities for AI to lighten the load.”
Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is among the firms to have already unlocked value from AI. It is using tools in Microsoft Azure to better understand the diseases it delivers treatments for.
“AI is changing the way that we do drug discovery,” says Karin Conde-Knape, senior vice president of early development at Novo Nordisk. “With disease understanding, we can pinpoint a particular dysregulated biology to address. It’s AI helping you define where you position your treatment first rather than the way that we maybe normally approach it.”
KPMG, meanwhile, is using Microsoft Copilot to reshape how it delivers its audit text and advisory services.
“AI has given us a competitive advantage by changing our go-to-market strategy by shortening the time it takes to work through analytical data,” says Kelle Fontenot, chief digital officer at KPMG, who explains how engaging in meetings with contextual information supported by Copilot has changed the relationships the firm has with its clients.
Microsoft refers to organisations like these as ‘frontier firms’, successfully integrating AI agents into their operations.
“A new organisational blueprint is emerging,” reads Microsoft’s 2025 Work Trend Index. “One that blends machine intelligence with human judgement, building systems that are AI-operated but human-led. Structured around on-demand intelligence and powered by ‘hybrid’ teams of humans and agents, these companies scale rapidly, operate with agility and generate value faster.”
Frontier firms are “powered by intelligence on tap, human-agent teams, and a new role for everyone: agent boss,” according to the Work Trend Index.
As organisations transform into this new type of enterprise, a workplace model focused on collaboration between humans and AI agents is appearing. Microsoft says this model develops through three distinct phases.
First, AI assistants empower every employee to work smarter and faster by automating routine tasks and providing real-time support. Second, digital agents join teams as ‘digital colleagues’, handling specific tasks under human guidance. These agents become active team members rather than mere tools. Third, humans set strategic direction while agents execute complex business processes and workflows, autonomously checking in when needed.
Within this framework, the role of an ‘agent boss’ has developed, where human managers oversee one or more AI agents. This human-agent team structure is designed to address the ‘capacity gap’, which Microsoft identifies as a growing mismatch between the volume and complexity of business demands and what people alone can manage. In Microsoft’s Work Trend Index, 53 per cent of leaders say they need more productivity from their teams, yet 80 per cent of employees report lacking the time or energy to get their work done. During a typical workday, employees are interrupted every two minutes by meetings, emails or pings, with an average of 275 daily interruptions, when including after-hours activity. As a result, nearly half of employees (48 per cent) and over half of leaders (52 per cent) say their work feels chaotic and fragmented.
“No one becomes a clinician to do paperwork, but it’s becoming a bigger and bigger administrative burden, taking time and attention away from actually treating and supporting patients,” says Satya Nadella, chairman and CEO of Microsoft.
By assigning repetitive or transactional tasks to AI agents, organisations can reduce this overload, giving employees more space to focus on creativity, judgement and building meaningful connections. This shift not only improves job satisfaction but also drives organisations to prioritise expanding team capacity through digital labour. According to Microsoft, nearly half of leaders (45 per cent) see this expansion as a key focus in the next 12-18 months, second only to upskilling their existing workforce (47 per cent), as they adapt to evolving demands and new ways of working.
However, there are practical challenges that organisations need to overcome to become frontier firms, including getting the human/agent ratio right.
“Just as HR manages human performance and IT manages systems, organisations will need new models to allocate and manage intelligence resources,” notes the Work Trend Index.
Successfully navigating this shift requires leadership to understand the interplay between people and technology, ensuring AI is integrated in ways that support and enhance the human workforce rather than creating barriers to work.
“If you have a people problem, you will have an AI problem,” says Amy Webb, futurist and CEO of Future Today Strategy Group, a consulting firm specialising in technology foresight. “As multi-agent systems redefine the workplace, the challenge will be to integrate and manage them securely and effectively. Companies that already know how to enable their human workforce will succeed – breaking down silos, fostering collaboration and ensuring the entire organisation works toward common goals.”
In navigating this transformation, Microsoft plays a unique role as ‘customer zero’, using its own AI technologies internally before they are widely released. This approach allows Microsoft to test solutions in real enterprise scenarios and share valuable insights with customers. Nathalie D’Hers, corporate vice president of Microsoft Digital, explains that this strategy has accelerated Microsoft’s digital transformation in ways that would have been impossible just a few years ago.
“Part of our mission is to be Microsoft’s first and best customer and then share our learning with customers,” she says. “In that spirit, we’ve learned a lot about enterprise AI, especially ways to accelerate time to employee value.”
Microsoft has empowered more than 4,000 of its own Copilot champions (enthusiastic early adopters who share their knowledge and help peers embrace AI in daily work). This has helped Microsoft explore the evolving role of AI not just as a tool, but as a collaborative partner.
This experience allows Microsoft to help its customers in all sectors achieve their AI goals.
Tax preparation provider H&R Block, for example, is using generative AI to deliver more responsive, personalised experiences to clients. “It’s transforming how we work and evolve as an organisation,” says Aditya Thadani, vice president of AI platforms at H&R Block. “Our purpose remains the same, but how we live up to that promise is the opportunity – and AI is helping us get there.”
In the professional services sector, Accenture has developed an AI agent to automate and streamline past-due payments, accelerating collections and contributing directly to improved financial performance.
Bayer’s researchers are using AI agents to save up to six hours per week. This added efficiency allows the firm to bring new products to market faster and drive greater innovation in agriculture. Chemical producer Dow, meanwhile, has deployed agents to identify hidden losses and improve the accuracy of logistics and billing processes. These enhancements are expected to save millions of dollars in the first year alone.
And in travel and hospitality, Holland America Line is using a conversational AI concierge called Anna to respond to thousands of queries each week, delivering timely, helpful answers and enhancing the overall cruise experience.
These examples show how AI agents are already creating measurable impact, from improving internal operations to enriching the customer journey. Spataro compares its potential impact to some of the most profound shifts in human history, including the Industrial Revolution, the invention of the airplane and the rise of the internet. These breakthroughs didn’t just introduce new tools; they fundamentally changed how people live and work. In the same way, generative AI is poised to redefine the modern workplace, reshaping job roles, decision-making processes and how value is created across every industry.
But as organisations look ahead, it’s clear that success will require more than just adopting AI. It calls for full immersion. As Conde-Knape puts it: “Full immersion is different from technology adoption... we’re not training somebody on how to do their job differently using technology, we’re training people on how to think about their job differently.”
This shift in mindset marks a critical turning point. Rather than layering AI on top of existing processes, the most forward-thinking organisations are reimagining work from the ground up, with AI as a core enabler. Ultimately, generative AI can supercharge productivity and unlock new levels of innovation – but real success depends on managing its adoption thoughtfully, with the human experience at the heart of every deployment.
Partner perspectives
We asked Microsoft partners how they are helping businesses to empower their workforces with generative AI.
“AVEVA AI delivers near-instant dashboards, visualisations and optimised engineering designs. Together with other types of AI, generative AI delivers benefits such as productivity gains (one client achieved 80 per cent automated data reconciliation), shorter time-to-value, and lower costs ($34 million from one predictive alert). We’ve only just begun to unlock AI’s real value in industry,” said Jim Chappell, global head of AI and advanced analytics at AVEVA.
“CNXN Helix accelerates workforce transformation by deploying AI copilots and intelligent agents that automate tasks, enhance decision-making and boost productivity. Our seven-step methodology, combined with world-class engineering expertise, ensures tailored AI solutions aligned with each organisation’s goals,” said Jamal Khan, head of CNXN Helix Center for Applied AI and Robotics, and chief growth and innovation officer at Connection
“At Coretek, we integrate generative AI with Microsoft’s robust platforms to transform employee productivity. Our technology solutions automate repetitive tasks, deliver actionable insights and seamlessly integrate AI-driven tools into everyday workflows,” said Brian Barnes, chief product officer at Coretek.
“At M-Files, we are leveraging generative AI to transform the way businesses operate. By integrating AI-driven productivity features into our products, we empower employees to automate repetitive tasks, enhance decision-making and foster innovation. Our solutions enable seamless collaboration and provide personalised insights, leading to improved efficiency and productivity,” said Samppa Lahtinen, senior manager of industry solutions at M-Files.
"Certified solutions like Shure IntelliMix Room Kits ensure accurate audio capture and allows Copilot in Teams to deliver transcription data, attribute speakers, create meeting summaries and provide next steps, allowing participants to engage fully without distractions. This synergy between AI and AV technology reduces miscommunications, significantly boosting efficiency and driving the modern workplace forward,” said Tyler Troutman, manager of strategic market development at Shure.
Read more from these partners and others, including Asana, Ascent, Barco, BlinkOps, Ferranti, Huddly, Jabra, Melissa, NRI, Rencore and more in the Summer 2025 issue of Technology Record. Don’t miss out – subcribe for free today and get future issues delivered straight to your inbox.